Reforesting a deep East TX Tract with Longleaf Pine – Opinions Needed

[caveman]

Long leaf pine needles are usually 11-18".

[Texas Ranger]

 Hence, long leaf 8)

[WDH]

Some of the locals call it "long straw pine"  ;D.

[isawlogs]

Ok that would make it easier to bale then ours .  :D

[WDH]

Here is a picture of a young longleaf stand that is being managed for pine straw production.  Also, here is a picture of a young 5 year old longleaf that shows the needle length.  In exceptional specimens, the needle length can exceed 20 inches.The average is more like 12 to 14 inches.

[Texas Ranger]

Mike, I have been working with the Soil and Water District for Polk County and they tell me they are interested in anyone wanting to plant long leaf.  They say if in Polk or Tyler County that programs are available for long leaf planting.

Give them a call.

The guy in Tyler County with the long leaf plantation is Paul Poe.  I think he lives in Jasper.

[Mike R]

Thanks, I'll follow-up. As a FYI - I got an email response from Arborgen that longleaf seedling interest is increasing in East Texas from land owners that are replanting marginal farmland and have an interest in wildlife habitat.

As mentioned, I recently purchased the tract and I've decided to proceed with a clear cut to remove non merchantable timber and pulpwood size mixed timber (it had a really "hard" high grade timber cut a couple of years ago and not much merchantable is left). In fact, I'm having a hard time finding private foresters who might have an interest (since they normally work on a percentage basis). Although the economics are a little slower (compared to Loblolly), longleaf continues to interest me since it would allow me to restore the tract to its original condition. It's part of our old family homestead, so I have a sentimental perspective (like Magic man's ½ Longleaf family plot).

I appreciate the follow-up.

Mike

[Texas Ranger]

We have to make a living, as well.  But I do have an hourly rate. :

[customsawyer]

The first thing I would recommend is that you get a forester to over see the clear cutting and reforestation on your land.
I have had some customers in the past that have researched a couple of things on the internet and then proceeded in making some mistakes that cost them much more than the forester would have. I am not saying that you would make these mistakes just that there is a lot of different things to look at when it comes to reforestation and a local forester will have the knowledge. Just my 2 cents.

[Ron Scott]

Good advice! ;)

[WDH]

Jake (Customsawyer) has planted a bunch of longleaf.  Get him to come over and plant it for you  ;D.

[Texas Ranger]

If you are interested in information regarding management of longleaf pine, there are three information sheets available on the website below that you might like to read:

http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=1183&ptaxid=146&dtaxid=164&taxid=178

[barbender]

Isawlogs, does this mean you're not going into business baling up Jack pine needles? :D

[isawlogs]

Sure would not like to take any work away from anybody out , so I will leave well enough alone. I'll stick to hay when times comes to ballin' anything.  ;) :D

[Texas Ranger]

NEWS RELEASE
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
Contact: Beverly Moseley, Public Affairs Specialist - Zone 4
beverly.moseley@tx.usda.gov
(979) 846-0757 ext. 3

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE         
November 10, 2010
NRCS Longleaf Pine Initiative Available to Private Landowners

Nov. 10, 2010 - Longleaf pine forests once covered millions of acres throughout the Southeastern United States. Today, only a few thousand acres of this vital habitat remains. To help sustain, enhance and restore longleaf pine forests, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Dave White today announced the availability of more than $12 million to help private landowners in nine States restore and manage longleaf pine.
"The longleaf pine is one of our key native species; providing a home to hundreds of plant and animal species as well as being a tremendous economic resource," White said. "Restoring and expanding this species is only made possible through voluntary partnerships with conservation-minded landowners who share our goal of healthy forests."
The nine states included in the Longleaf Pine Initiative are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
Longleaf pine habitat can contain as many as 300 different species of groundcover plants per acre, and approximately 60 percent of the amphibian and reptile species found in the Southeast. Additionally, this forested habitat is home to at least 122 endangered or threatened plant and animal species including the fox squirrel, northern bobwhite, red-cockaded woodpecker and gopher tortoise.
"We've taken great steps toward conserving longleaf pine forests in Texas," said NRCS Texas Acting State Conservationist Salvador Salinas. "Through this initiative, and the great works of our landowners, we will be able to enhance and protect more of this essential habitat."
The Longleaf Pine Initiative will incorporate both technical and financial assistance providing $576,500 to help landowners in Texas improve habitat on agricultural land, nonindustrial private forest and Tribal land.
In Texas, highest priority will be given to land suitable for tree production in the following counties:  Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Hardin, Houston, Jasper, Liberty, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler and Walker. Land outside these counties that is determined to be suitable for longleaf pine production will also be considered.
Approved participants will receive financial assistance for implementing conservation practices including planting longleaf pine, installing firebreaks, conducting prescribed burning and controlling invasive plants. Landowners can apply at their local NRCS office in the USDA Service Center.
A longleaf pine ecology workshop also will be held Dec. 2 at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches. The workshop is tailored for consultants, landowners, Texas Forest Service (TFS), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employees or anyone who works with non-industrial private forest landowners. This is an excellent time to meet professionals that will share their knowledge of the longleaf pine ecosystem and the wildlife habitat it supports. This free event is hosted by NRCS and the TFS. For more information contact Nancy Posvar with NRCS at (254) 742-9880 or email Jeanna Childers at Jeanna.childers@tx.usda.gov.

[WDH]

Only a few thousand acres left?  That is somewhat of an overstatement.

[Clark]

A lot of the longleaf restoration is a romantic attempt to return to the old ecosystem, but we have brainwashed the public for decades that fire in the forest is a bad thing.  Plus, many longleaf restoration projects struggle because the longleaf is being planted on sites that it is not adapted to.

WDH - I am curious, because you have made statements like this several times concerning longleaf, what is the difference in a longleaf pine site versus loblolly, shortleaf, slash, etc?  What did the original longleaf pine forests get turned into?   All your different pine interest me but feel free to give the condensed version.  Remember, I'm just a Yank to whom all these pine would probably look the same!

Clark

[WDH]

Before colonization, the southern landscape was burned by the native americans.  There were extensive open savannas populated by scattered longleaf pine in the flatwoods and the lower coastal plains.  On the more upland areas with good soils, stands of loblolly and shortleaf pine dominated but they were not as fire resistant.  In the wettest areas, slash pine and pond cypress predominated.  In the true bottomlands, the various hardwoods were found. 

The better soils where the loblolly usually grew were mainly cleared for agriculture.  Ultimately, people cleared the longleaf pine savannas for wet pasture and agriculture.  Today, the flatwoods and lower coastal plains where the old longleaf savannas once thrived have been converted to loblolly and slash pine plantations, mainly loblolly because the longleaf system was low productivity from a timber volume standpoint.  However, the savannas were diverse with a mix of animal and plant species that were uniquely adapted to the fire ecology.  The settlers saw fire as a destructive force, and along with Smokey the Bear in later years, the fire ecology was destroyed. 

The USDA is promoting restoration of longleaf.  This is a FSA CRP type program with cost shares and annual rental payments.  However, to qualify, you have to convert cropland back into longleaf.  The rub is that many of these cropland sites were originally loblolly pine sites and longleaf is not as adapted to them.  There have been many failures, but with some research, successful planting techniques have been developed. 

My cynical comments apply to the notion that you can restore the old longleaf ecosystem the way it once was.  That is not possible because humans will not tolerate the fire ecology.  Fire and people do not mix well as populations increase, even rural populations.  Burning expansive areas for longleaf management creates a host of people problems primarily around smoke management. 

Without frequent fire, planting longleaf in rows is akin to planting loblolly in rows or any other crop.  To restore the ecosystem with all the fire adapted birds, mammals, and reptiles along with all the bunch grasses, forbs, herbs, etc. one must burn on a managed cycle.  In the more populated areas down here, you cannot even burn leaves anymore.
Like Thomas Wolfe wrote in a famous novel, "You Can't Go Home Again".

[Rocky_Ranger]

I sort of feel the same way for some of the animal species we are "restoring"; it's not that they can't be reintroduced, it's they won't prosper with all the human interactions we now have.  You sure hit the proverbial nail on the head with longleaf.........  We sometimes need to take a step back and pay attention to what we are really trying to accomplish.

[Clark]

Thanks WDH, that helps me understand the various roles the different pine played down south.

I figured as much about your comments, it seems that many gov't programs designed to help certain natural resources have good intentions but rarely hit the mark as well as they should have.  The Forest Service spent thousands in the 1950's (or there abouts) in the lake states pulling gooseberry to reduce the impact of white pine blister rust.  The intention was good but they should have spent the money re-establishing white pine.  There are thousands of acres in northern MN with no white pine whatsoever and only 150 years ago white pine likely dominated.  And we still have blister rust.  The irony of it all is almost too much.

Clark

[WDH]

I was in the mountains of West Virginia looking at logging a few years ago.  On one site, on the slope of the mountain, there was these enormous perfect cherry trees 24" - 36" in diameter and 100 feet tall.  They were dominant logs in the stand, and there were quite a lot of them.  It did not hit me till later, after walking in a newly clearcut area that was covered in natural cherry regeneration, that the reason for the big beautiful cherry trees being there was because these mountains had been clearcut 80 - 100 years ago and the cherry seeded in.  Cherry is a pioneer species and is one of the first to get established in disturbed ground.  It is ironic that the mountains of West Virginia was the place where the big anti-clearcut campaign started in the 1970's.

If those mountains had of been high graded instead of being clearcut, that cherry that is so desirable today would not even have been there.  It would not have had the opportunity to seed back in as it did.  What we do today has everything to do with what will be there tomorrow.

[Texas Ranger]

]2011 WHIP Longleaf Pine Federal Initiative Guidelines for Texas

Allocated Money: $576,500 in both technical and financial assistance



Priority Counties: Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Hardin, Houston, Jasper, Liberty, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler, Walker. Lands outside these counties that are determined to be suitable for growing Longleaf Pine will also be considered.



Approved Practices: Tree establishment, installation of firebreaks, conducting prescribed burns, herbicide application, and site preparation



Contact Length: Typical WHIP contract is for one to two years with some contracts extending for five years. For contracts longer than one year in length at least one conservation practice must be completed within the first 12 months of the contract period.



Example: If a landowner applies for practice 490 (tree/shrub site preparation) and practice 612 (tree/shrub establishment) and the contract length is for two years then practice 490 must be completed within the first 12 months of signing the contract. Practice 612 can be completed the following planting season if not sooner.



Cost Share Rate: WHIP contracts can cost share up to 75% of the NRCS approved practice cost but realistically landowners can expect to receive a 50% cost share of approved practices.



**Disclaimer**: Landowners should be made aware that if they enroll into the WHIP Longleaf Pine special initiative that LLP seedlings may not be available for two to three years.  There is the possibility of LLP seedlings being transported from other southern nurseries depending on the demand and supply available. The lack of seedlings can be an issue for the landowner if they cannot get their enrolled acres established before the end of their contract.



Landowners will not be able to receive cost share assistance for seedlings until they are planted and the enrolled acres have passed inspection. There was hope that NRCS would break out the cost of seedlings from establishment cost to allow landowners to pre-order seedlings a year in advance and receive cost share assistance. NRCS has informed me that they cannot do that so if a landowner does pre-order and purchase their seedlings in advance then that landowner will have to carry that cost until the seedlings are planted.